The Gang of Fourteen: a game for Learning About World Climates

The Gang of Fourteen:

This game helps students learn about world climate types, climate data, climographs, and climatic classification in an interesting and engaging manner. Students will try to “round up” a gang of spies located in 14 cities around the world. Fourteen sets of clues, one for each city, will help the student find the location. This spy ring, known as the ‘Gang of Fourteen,’ has placed a large bomb in a fifteenth city. None of the 14 spies knows the location of the bomb, but each has a partial clue to its whereabouts. Each time the students find one of the Gang of Fourteen, they receive that spy’s information about the city where the bomb is located. Teams of students work to solve this problem of international espionage, and the first group to correctly locate the bomb is the winning team.

• 
  demonstrate knowledge of the Koppen system of climate classification, and the controls of climate, by using this information to determine place locations.
  
• 
  be able to locate places through analyzing climatic data shown on a climograph.
  
• 
  be able to read and interpret a climograph.
  
• 
  be able to locate places through the longitude and latitude system.
  

report information from a spatial perspective.

6.3.6 Locate and map the climate regions of Europe and the Western Hemisphere.

7.3.6 Locate and map the climate regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, and explain how and why

they differ.

WG 1.1 Explain the Earth’s grid system, and be able to locate places using degrees of latitude

and longitude.

WG 3.4: Identify and account for the distribution pattern of the world’s climate.

Materials:

• 
  World Atlases
  
• 
  Prepared climographs (download from GENI website) or data so students can create the climographs themselves by following step-by-step instructions (How to Make Climographs- download from GENI website)
  
• 
  Notes on how to interpret climographs
  
• 
  Set of clues (below) and Spy Information (below)
  
• 
  Each group will need a piece of paper numbered 1 to 14
  
• 
  Pencils and scrap paper
  
• 
  Optional: Computers with internet access and Microsoft Excel (to create graphs)
  
• 
  Optional: List of Koppen System abbreviations [Note: Helps if minimal discussion has taken place on the abbreviations, however, this will make some of the clues very easy to figure out] – one per group (download handout from GENI website)
  

**Successful student participation requires previous knowledge and mastery of several basic geographical skills. To play…

Students must be able to locate a place by latitude and longitude and to interpret climatic station data displayed on a climograph. Arrange students in groups of three or four. Either have each group create the climographs and find the latitude and longitude of each city or make copies of the already prepared climographs in advance.

Read the following set of instructions to the students:

1. 
   Your group is trying to locate a bomb placed in an unknown city by the Gang of Fourteen; a notorious spy ring.
   
2. 
   No spy knows the precise location of the bomb, but each spy in the Gang of Fourteen has a partial clue to its location.
   
3. 
   I will now give you a set of climographs (if students have not created them themselves) which will help you locate members of the spy ring. NOTE: Teacher now hands out the climographs.
   
4. 
   Each set of clues I read refers to one of the cities featured on these climographs. NOTE: You may reveal the clues on the overhead, white board, or on strips of paper.
   
5. 
   A set of clues will be revealed or distributed every three minutes. Your group may work on any set of clues in any order.
   
6. 
   As soon as your group correctly matches a climograph to a set of clues, write the name of the city on the corresponding line on your piece of paper and report to the teacher.
   
7. 
   If you have correctly identified the city, then you have captured a member of the Gang of Fourteen hiding in that location. The spy will disclose any his/her information about the location of the bomb to you. BE SURE THAT NO OTHER GROUP GETS ACCESS TO THIS SECRET INFORMATION!
   
8. 
   If you think that your group can correctly identify the city in which the bomb is located, write the name of the city on your sheet of paper and bring it to me at any time during the game. There is no penalty for an incorrect guess. The first team to correctly identify the city in which the bomb is located wins the game. REMINDER: the bomb is not in any of the cities listed on the climographs! FOLLOW THE CLUES!
   
9. 
   Each group of detectives should make sure they have their atlases, Koppen abbreviations and scrap paper available.
   
10. 
    I will now reveal clue #1 and will reveal the next set of clues in three minutes.
    

• 
  For lower grades, give each group a copy of the clues in order for groups to work at their own pace or you may read the clues to the class.
  
• 
  To incorporate more atlas use, give students only the climate data and not the locational data. Require students to look up the Latitude and Longitude of each city from the Gazetteer.
  
• 
  Have students plot the locations on a map as they “discover” the location.
  
• 
  Have students list what climate factors influence each location (ie-coastal vs. inland, elevation, etc.
  
• 
  Work to solve location as an entire class.
  
• 
  Students create the climographs prior to game. (How to Make Climographs- download from GENI website)
  
• 
  Have each group create their own “spy ring” for other groups to solve.
  

Students can be evaluated by following directions to arrive at certain locations. Grades can be determined at the discretion of the teacher and student participation.

Clues for Finding the Gang of Fourteen

1. 
   The city is located between 40 N and 50 N, elevation is over 1000 feet.
   
2. 
   Rainfall (precipitation) is less than 32 inches per year.
   
3. 
   Temperature range is from about 20 F (low) to almost 80 F (high)
   
4. 
   Climate is Humid Continental with a warm summer.
   

Set #2:

1. 
   Site is located in the western hemisphere and below 1100 feet elevation.
   
2. 
   Rainfall in June averages almost 4 inches.
   
3. 
   Temperature averages 50 F in October.
   
4. 
   Climate is Mid-latitude Steppe.
   

Set #3:

1. 
   Located between 25 N and 35 N and is less than 50 feet above sea level
   
2. 
   Moderate rainfall can be expected year round, a bit more in the summer.
   
3. 
   Temperature averages include: December 50 F and May 72 F.
   
4. 
   Climate type is Humid Subtropical.
   

Set #4:

1. 
   This city is located in the eastern hemisphere and elevation is near sea level.
   
2. 
   Rainfall rates are lowest in the summer months.
   
3. 
   Temperature range exceeds 30 F.
   
4. 
   Climate type is Mediterranean.
   

Set #5:

1. 
   Located between 30 S and 40 S and is below 1000 feet in elevation.
   
2. 
   December is warmer than July; winters are wetter than summers.
   
3. 
   Temperature range is less than 25 F.
   
4. 
   Climate type is Mediterranean.
   

Set #6:

1. 
   Located in the southern hemisphere; at or below 1000 feet elevation.
   
2. 
   Precipitation is 10 inches or less for the year.
   
3. 
   No month averages above 32 F.
   
4. 
   Climate type is Ice Cap.
   

Set #7:

1. 
   Elevation is between sea level and 200 feet.
   
2. 
   Average annual temperature does not exceed 30 F
   
3. 
   Precipitation averages less than 2 inches in every month.
   
4. 
   Climate has at least four months that average above freezing.
   

Set #8:

1. 
   Elevation is not over 1000 feet.
   
2. 
   This location has an extremely large annual range of temperature.
   
3. 
   Precipitation amounts are less than 2 inches for each month.
   
4. 
   The climate is classified as Subarctic.
   

Set #9:

1. 
   Elevation is not higher than 500 feet; latitude is 56 N
   
2. 
   Temperature variation over the year is small.
   
3. 
   Rainfall occurs throughout the year, constantly moist.
   
4. 
   The climate type is Marine West Coast.
   

Set #10:

1. 
   This site is in the northern hemisphere.
   
2. 
   Elevation is 1000 feet.
   
3. 
   Average annual temperature is 72 F
   
4. 
   September is the wettest month of the year.
   

Set #11:

1. 
   This site is in North America.
   
2. 
   Average annual rainfall is less than 10 inches.
   
3. 
   This place is in a warm desert and no month averages below 40 F.
   
4. 
   July through September are the wettest months.
   

Set #12:

1. 
   The longitude indicates that this place is in the eastern hemisphere.
   
2. 
   Elevation is less than 500 feet.
   
3. 
   The difference between the warmest and coldest months exceeds 40 F.
   
4. 
   Four months have no measurable rainfall.
   

Set #13:

1. 
   This place is located within the tropics.
   
2. 
   The annual fluctuation of temperature is low.
   
3. 
   Although four months are dry, average annual rainfall is over 30 inches.
   
4. 
   Summer is the rainy season.
   

Set #14:

1. 
   Site lies within 10 degrees of the equator.
   
2. 
   This place has very even temperatures, warm all year.
   
3. 
   Every month averages at least 3.6 inches of precipitation.
   
4. 
   The wettest month exceeds 20 inches.
   

Spy Information

Spy information is: Bomb is west of the Prime Meridian.

Spy information is: Many people in the city speak French.

Spy information is: Sorry, this spy was silenced before revealing anything.

Spy information is: Bomb is in a coastal city.

Spy information is: Spy lies about the bomb being in South America.

Spy information is: Spy is too cold to talk; try again later when she thaws out.

Spy information is: Bomb is 10 degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer.

Spy information is: This spy is a tough guy and refuses to talk.

Spy information is: Oops, this spy escaped.

Spy information is: Bomb is in a city on the Atlantic Ocean.

Spy information is: Bomb is in a city with a Spanish name.

Spy information is: “I know nothing, I saw nothing!”

Spy information is: Bomb is on the same continent as Ouagadougou.